Global warming might be killing off many species of coral as the world’s oceans acidify, but the future for biodiversity in coral reefs might not be as bleak as previously forecast, according to a study by New Zealand and Australian scientists.
“It has been predicted that many reefs will end up being dominated by algae rather than corals, which will have negative effects on biodiversity and ultimately on the ability of humans to derive protein from reefs,” marine biologist Dr James Bell, of New Zealand’s Victoria University, said Tuesday.
“However, we propose an alternative scenario — as sponges and corals respond differently to changing ocean chemistry and environmental conditions, we may actually see some coral reefs transforming into sponge reefs,” Bell said in a statement.
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